Out In The Cold
We all know it's cleaner, but how's the new diesel for cold weather running? CFI evaluates ULSD's performance over its first winter.
by James Menzies
When ultra low-sulfur diesel (ULSD) was first introduced to the Canadian trucking industry last fall, the big fear on the minds of everyone who owned a truck was its resiliency in cold weather.
Removing sulfur from the fuel increases the wax content, and higher paraffin content can drive the cloud point of the fuel upwards, resulting in poor operability, admits Donna McMahon, senior fuels advisor with Petro-Canada, Western Canada. However, the fuel industry is highly regulated and there are "cloud point" (the temperature at which the fuel becomes cloudy or misty) standards that must be met by fuel companies. These cloud points vary depending on the area in which the fuel is sold. So fuel companies assured truckers they had the situation well in hand.
Fuel companies also collectively warned against the use of additives - and there has been no shortage of companies in the marketplace trying to feed off the fears of truck owners by marketing products designed to improve the cold weather performance of ULSD.
"With additives, there's always the danger of adding too much and causing negative side effects," Alex Drohomyrecky, retail product quality advisor with Shell Canada told me in the lead-up to the launch of ULSD. "Lots of people think that if some is supposed to be good, more is better, and that's not the case. Some additives can cause detrimental effects if poured in too high a concentration."
And then there's the risk of voiding engine warranties by using fuel additives that haven't been approved. With additives strongly shunned by fuel companies, truckers had little choice but to cross their fingers as they headed into winter and hope it would be problem-free. For the most part, it was.
Exceptions to the Rule?
The major fuel companies report the transition to ULSD has been seamless and there have been no widespread issues involving its use. But as with any significant technology change of this magnitude, there is always going to be the odd problem. And ULSD was no exception.
Michael Mallock, owner of Michael Mallock Trucking and a consultant with Alberta-Pacific Forest Products, wasn't so lucky this winter. He says a January cold snap in Alberta exposed some flaws with the ultra low-sulfur fuel. During the cold spell, the fuel he was using gelled up, prematurely clogging many of his fuel filters.
"We had a severe gelling problem," he told Canadian Forest Industries. When the mercury dropped to -35 degrees C and below, Mallock said the ULSD wreaked havoc on his trucks' fuel filters. The newer ones were fine - but those over 200 hours old were clogged up and needed immediate replacement.It was a significant problem, considering the well-managed fleet generally gets 600 to 800 hours on a fuel filter before it requires replacing.
"It was a bit of a shock to us," Mallock said. He added "Everything's harder when it gets really cold, although with a few notable exceptions, ULSD fuel did not make life particularly tough for haulers this past winter. Many regions in Canada may have dodged a bullet having experienced a mild winter with no extended cold streaks. Mallock took the issue up with his fuel supplier who he says acknowledged the problem and promised to look into it further.But for now, the log hauler is on his own.
"This is going to change the way we do business," Mallock says. He adds that he now has to play the role of weatherman, monitoring weather forecasts and replacing filters with 200 hours or more on them in advance of cold fronts. It's one more responsibility an owner/operator or maintenance manager shouldn't have to be burdened with. There were also complaints about ULSD operability south of the border. The US Environmental Protection Agency received some reports that truckers were having problems starting their trucks in cold weather - a problem they blamed on ULSD.
But just how widespread is the issue? Not very, according to both users and suppliers of ULSD that I spoke with. If anyone should know, it would be Glenn Bauer, owner of Ventures West Transport in Edmonton, AB. His trucks run due north, hauling supplies over the ice roads to the diamond mines in the Northwest Territories. His trucks spend most of the winter operating in temperatures of -40 degrees C or colder, so I gave him a call.
"We haven't had any problems," he reports. "We've been up there, using ULSD in -50 C without any problems. Just this past week I was up there and it was 40-below in Yellowknife, and even colder at the mines and we didnŐt experience any problems at all."
I also asked Colleen Flanagan, category manager, commercial transportation lubricants with Petro-Canada (it's worth noting Petro-Canada is not Mallock's fuel supplier) if she was aware of any problems with ULSD.
"I have not heard of any fuel filter issues directly related to ULSD and cold weather use," she said. She admitted fuel typically provides worse fuel economy in the winter, due to its lower density. However, she added there's no reason that would affect the flow through the filter.
"It sounds like there is more to this story," she suggested. She consulted with Petro-Canada's fuels technical services department to try to get an answer. Some possibilities for fuel filter clogging include contamination in the yard or holding tank with water or particulates - such contamination would easily clog a fuel filter - or temperature incompatibility, where ULSD is used in a region it was not intended for. Diesel is blended for operation in specific temperature ranges.
But she insisted the use of ULSD alone has not been causing problems for truckers in the cold.
Thankfully, it appears that ULSD performance issues in cold weather seem to be very isolated and for the most part, ULSD passed its first test by performing up to expectations this winter.
The Log Haul is a regular column on log hauling issues and technology. James Menzies is executive editor of CanadaŐs leading trucking magazines, Truck News and Trucks West. He writes this column exclusively for CFI Magazine. He can be reached at jmenzies@trucknews.com.
